Many Roots Ensemble Release New Single 'Insaniyat (Prime Time)' Featuring Swadesi

The track is the multi-genre group's first release since 2019

- DAVID BRITTO

GOA-BASED MULTI-GENRE GROUP Many Roots Ensemble – comprising guitarist Subid Khan, bassist Souvik Bhattacharya drummer Abhishek Debsikdar and saxophonist Jarryd Rodrigues – are back with new music after four years. Their new funky yet gritty song “Insaniyat (Prime Time)” follows 2019’s three-track EP Black Indian and features members of hip-hop group Swadesi; MC Mawali and the late MC Tod Fod. Organist and synth player Manavon Massar has also contributed to the song.

In this interview with Rolling Stone India, Many Roots Ensemble talk to us about their new song, how the collaboration with Swadesi came about, their forthcoming album and more.

What has the band been up to since Black Indian was released?

Khan: We played some major festivals like NH7 Pune, Ctrl Alt Delete in Mumbai and we were also doing a bunch of local pub and club gigs around the country. We had this momentum going till early 2020 when we played at the Kala Ghoda festival and then the Luna music festival in Sri Lanka too. Once the pandemic struck, all of us had to go back to our individual hometowns. But after the pandemic situation relaxed a bit, we reconvened in Goa, which was much more open and active in terms of live music at that time.

Debsikdar: Since bringing things back in Goa, we have been quite active with live gigs pan-India, with a few seasonal breaks which were used to write new material for the further release of a full-length album. A considerable few years have passed since any recorded music has been released, and we feel deeply discontent about the same but we are turning that over, starting with this single.